What I've Always Needed
by InnocentFairy
Summary: Haru, months after her adventures in the Cat Kingdom, tries to move on in life, which she finds rather difficult, thanks to a certain dressed-up gentlemanly feline that she cannot stop thinking about. Will she find out what she REALLY wants in life?
1. Chapter 1: A Party?

"A… a Halloween party?" I asked my friend Hiromi, narrowly avoiding bumping into an elderly woman pushing her shopping cart past us.

"Yeah. Oh, you _have_ to come, Haru! Me and Tsuge are going together!" She squeals, grabbing a box of cookies and tossing it into the basket I have lazily hanging from my arm.

"You're paying for those." I mutter, as I inspect the instant breakfasts I so desperately need if I am going to manage to eat breakfast the way I've been waking up so late. "I don't know… parties? Not really my thing." I sigh as I put a few boxes into my basket and continue walking. "Besides, you're making it sound like a couple thing."

Hiromi avoids eye contact with me, and I lean over in front of her to stare her down. Eyes going in all directions necessary to avoid my stare, she stutters, "W-well... it isn't _really_, but I thought that maybe you wouldn't mind if I-I… got you someone?"

"Wait, _what_?" I stumble and crash into a display stand, and Hiromi catches the few boxes that fall off the top.

"Klutz." She giggles, trying to calm me down. "I-I didn't think you would mind…"

"You… got… me… a _someone_?" I say shakily. "Explain. Yourself. Now." I say determinedly, poking Hiromi in the chest with every word.

"Well… see, we're seventeen years old, and you haven't had a date yet!" Hiromi cringes under my piercing stare. "And Machida _was_ showing interest in you the other day, di-didn't you notice? He totally cornered me yesterday and asked me about you, and if you had a boyfriend and if you were going to the Halloween dance and I-I said you didn't and I thought that since you told me like a few months ago that he is, and I quote, 'so darn cool' so I didn't think that you would be _angry_ with me." She looks at me, and I can see tears – which are _totally_ fake – in her eyes.

Sighing, I shake my head. "I'm not angry… just… surprised." I force a smile as I pay for the groceries at the check out counter. "Thank you…" I murmur as she gives me my change. "_You_ can carry the heavier bag." I plop the bulky bag into Hiromi's arms. "I just didn't expect Machida to, well, do that." I push the button on the pedestrian traffic pole, waiting for the walking figure symbol to light up.

"I know!" The Hiromi I know shows herself again. "It totally startled me! Like he was totally sincere about it too! He really wants you to go with him, I'll _bet_ you."

The green light flashes across the street, and Hiromi and I quickly cross the street. "What did you tell him?" I say tiredly.

"Well, you don't have a boyfriend, and that you weren't planning on going to the party. He looked pretty down about that, so I kinda told him that I could convince you to go, and that you two could hang out together." We turn into the park sidewalks, and sit on a bench.

"So you pretty much got me a date to a party I didn't even know about without even asking me." I murmur as I pluck a yellow flower sticking out of a neighboring bush.

"Oh, you _are_ angry at me!" Hiromi cries, grabbing my hand. "Oh, Haru, I'm so sorry!"

"No, no! I'm not angry. I swear." I smile at my worried best friend. "I'm still just… shocked. You _sure_ you're not messing with me?"

She draws an 'x' on her heart with her finger. "Cross my heart. But come on. You _so_ liked Machida. I _knew_ you've changed. Ever since you saved that weird cat you've been different."

"You remember that?" I ask incredulously. Of course _I_ would remember that day, but I didn't expect Hiromi to.

"Of course I do! That was the most ridiculously _amazing_ save ever. But really, Haru, what's up?"

"Nothing." I force a laugh. "I'm totally out of it, I'm sorry." I squeeze her hand, and then I grab that box of cookies Hiromi never paid me for. Popping a cookie into my mouth, I ask, "So when's the party thing?"

Her whole face lights up. "So you'll come?" Taking my shrug as a yes, she says all the party information in a huge rush of words. "Oh, and obviously since it's a Halloween party, you have to wear a costume."

"Of course I do." I mutter under my breath. "So I have two days to figure out a costume, make it, and then confront Machida?"

"Well I'll _help_ you, of course!" Hiromi giggles. She looks up at the sky as she asks, "So what do you want to be?"

I playfully punch her shoulder. "I thought you said you'd _help_ me!"

"I _will_!" She laughs. "But it's _your_ decision on what you want to be." She winks at me and pops a cookie in her mouth.

"Well…" I stare thoughtfully at the ground. Shrugging, I ask her, "What are you going to be?"

She grins, showing me all her pearly white teeth. "Tsuge and I are going as Mickey and Minnie Mouse." She giggles. "Famous around the world, those two."

"I see why you picked it then." I say, winking at her. "You love attention."

"Well…" Hiromi smiles slyly, playing with her hair. "I can't argue with you there. But back to the main topic. What will you go as?"

"Well, I'm not picking a duet costume." I say firmly. "Hmm… I don't know…"

"A flower?" Hiromi randomly suggests.

"No." I snap my head to look at her. "Nothing _that_ noticeable."

As we sit there, looking at the playground packed with at least a dozen little children, my mind wanders to what Hiromi said.

~"Of course I do! That was the most ridiculously amazing save ever."~

So she remembers me saving the odd-eyed cat. Well, I suppose that's a reasonable thing to remember. He _did_ almost get hit by a truck, after all. Just that occurrence made so much more of an impact on my life than it did Hiromi. I mean… that next day… was insane. I'm not complaining, of course, but it was just… incredible.

"Haru?" Hiromi waves her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Haru? You copy?"

Shaking my head slightly, I sit up straight and nod. "Yea, sorry. Did you say something?"

"Nothing important." She smiles. "Just if you thought of anything yet."

"Oh…" I close my eyes for a few seconds. Then, turning to face her, I grin. "How about a cat?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_A/N_

_Wow! My first chapter! This is so exciting!_

_Okay… so please review, if you have the time._

_Hope I did okay for the first chapter. I always get carried away with lengths so I tried keeping this one down._

_I'll continue as rapidly as life will allow!_

_The Cat Returns does NOT belong to me (though it would be awesome if it did) but to Studio Ghibli._

_=)_


	2. Chapter 2: Attire and Apprehension

"Thanks, Mom!" I call from the sidewalk in front of my house. "See you later tonight!"

"Okay, be safe!" I hear her call back. I walk down the sidewalk, looking all around me and feeling incredibly self-conscious in my costume. Hiromi loved the cat idea, and she dragged me to the fabric store that very hour. My mom helped me with making the ears and the tail, and whiskers and a pink nose were easy to do as well.

And embarrassing as it is to admit, when I was all dressed in my yellow dress, and I caught myself in the mirror by my door, I almost screamed out loud. Seeing myself like that brought me back, and I must say I did look an awful lot like I did then. I found the right color in the fabric store with Hiromi, and the nose and whiskers look incredibly real.

I didn't pick out the yellow dress, either. The day after my 'brilliant idea' as Hiromi called it, she dragged me to the plaza to find a dress. She conveniently left out that this Halloween party was a dance. In the dress store we went in different directions, me toward the clearance racks, her toward the more elegant and very-noticeable dresses.

Hiromi was smiling so widely when she ran over to me in my little corner of the store. She had her arms behind her back, and when she whisked the soft yellow dress around her body to show me, my heart thudded hard in my chest. It certainly wasn't a ball gown, like way back when, but it was fancy enough. That same minute I was pushed into the dressing room. The band was snug around my waist – it was how it was supposed to be – and it poofed out dramatically down to just below my knees. The sleeves were puffed as well. It brought back memories that made my cheeks turn red in the dressing room mirror.

I was going to call to Hiromi, try to tell her to find a different dress, but she knew I was wearing the dress, and she pounded on the door, whining to let her see. I opened the door, and she gasped, and her eyes nearly flooded with tears. Apparently it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen on me, and that I _had_ to have it. Employees for the store walked by, deep in conversation about I-don't-care-what, but stopped right behind Hiromi, and they ooh-ed and aah-ed about how I looked stunning and how it 'totally suited me.' My stomach dropped when I saw the price ticket, but Hiromi insisted on paying for the majority of it. She _does_ have quite a bit more money than I do, but I didn't like being treated this extravagantly, so I paid for about a third of it – that was all I had on me.

So anyway, that was my adventure at the dress store. We easily found simple heels, and as a treat – as though I needed more – Hiromi ran into a random store, leaving me on the bench with the big bulky bags, and she came back out ten minutes later, with white gloves and a golden tiara. She said I might as well be a kitty princess with the dress I have. Figures.

So now I am dressed up awfully close to what I wore that day so many months ago. Looking around nervously again, I stop in front of Hiromi's house, where I see her bursting through the front door and running towards me, her white and red dress bouncing with every stride.

"You! Are! So! Pretty!" She says, hopping with each word. "I'm the best. Just admit it. This is going to be the best night of your life." She pretends to sniffle. "Oh, my little girl is growing up. Going to the dance with Machidaaaaaa!" She giggles. "Oh, I wont cry. My makeup will run." She grabs my hand and pulls me forward, to a faster walking pace. "You're going to make us late come _on_!"

"You're a bit… hyper." I say, forcing a smile at her.

"I'm so excited!" She squeals. "Come on, the rec center is just another block away." We rush across the street and I force her to slow down. I look around at the clear sky above us, the stars twinkling and the crescent moon grinning sideways down on the world. The car headlights make stripes of light travel along the cement walls to our side, and the streetlights create orbs of slightly orange beams on the pavement.

"There's Tsuge!" Hiromi squeals and I look over in the direction in which she is pointing and I manage to hide a laugh. The 'super-cool' ping-pong champion has large, black, round ears, and very big red shorts. "Hey Tsuge!" She calls and waves energetically. He waves back swiftly, trying to not draw attention to himself.

"He's so amazing…" Hiromi sighs and pulls me to a slight jog across the street to the doors of the rec center. "Hey!" Letting go of my hand, she goes to stand right next to him.

"Hey there." He grins and wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. He points at me. "Don't. Eat me." He laughs and takes Hiromi's hand. "Come on. Haru, I saw Machida walk in about ten minutes ago. I asked if he wanted to wait outside with me, but he said he'd rather wait inside." He shrugs. We enter the building, and I feel my mouth opening as I look around. Fake cobwebs decorate the walls along with the orange and black lights. Balloons and streamers nearly cover the entire ceiling, and the dance floor is already packed with people, dancing under a disco ball.

"Wow… what decorations…" I murmur, resulting with Hiromi's giggles.

"Well don't act as though you're not welcome!" She grins, already brining Tsuge to the dance floor. "Find. Machida." She winks and runs off.

"Wait! Don't leave… me." I say, my hand outstretched. Letting my hand fall limply to my side, I make my way to the drink table, and get a glass of water, and sip it as my eyes scan the huge room, looking for Machida.

Maybe this is what I needed. I need to get my mind off… them. They're like from another world… some actually are! I can't _be_ with them or anything, no matter how much I want to. I just need to make myself happy with what I have here. Distractions are good. Then they won't be considered distractions, and I'll be okay.

"Haru?" I hear a voice from behind me, and I turn around to see a police officer. My heart starts pounding – I didn't do anything! – but then I realize it's Machida.

"Oh! You startled me…" I laugh. "I didn't recognize you for a moment there!" That's it. Just smile and be yourself.

He grins – one of those smiles that used to make my face go red – and shrugs. "You're not the first that has had that mistake." He looks me up and down. "You look fantastic."

I feel my cheeks get warm. That's a good thing. "T-thanks…" I throw out my empty water cup and look at the dance floor, and giggle when I see Hiromi and Tsuge dancing.

"You… want to go dance?" Machida asks me, nervously holding out his hand. He's nervous! Aww that's so cute!

I smile, and shakily put my hand in his. "Sure."

And he takes me out to the dance floor, making his grip on my hand more and more confident with every step.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_Wow, chapter two already! Woop woop! Chapters one and two all in one day? This is crazy! What's going on?_

_Haha. I cheated._

_I didn't have school today._

_Soooo… that's why._

_Okay, so Haru is __trying__ to move on. So far so good._

_Can't wait to see what happens next!_

_Studio Ghibli owns The Cat Returns and all its characters._


	3. Chapter 3: I SHOULD Be Happy

"I saw you dancing with Machidaaaaaa!" Hiromi pokes me in the side as we sit at a little table, the boys getting us refreshments.

"I saw you dancing with Tsuge." I shrug.

"That's totally different. Tsuge is my _boyfriend_. Machida… isn't." Hiromi looks over at the refreshment table, making sure the boys aren't coming over as we're talking about them.

"Well I would hope not. I never saw you as the 'playa' type, Hiromi." I laugh, straightening my tiara on my head. "Besides, it _is_ a dance party. Aren't you supposed to, well, _dance_?"

"You know very well what I mean." Hiromi giggles. "He seemed very happy to be dancing with you."

"It was fun." I say, smiling. Maybe I'm finally managing to move on…

"And you're a lot better of a dancer than I thought you'd be." Hiromi points out. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I'm not _that_ bad, I would hope." I say, my smile faltering as I think back.

~ "Oh, no. I'm a meowsy dancer." ~

…So much for moving on.

"Oh, here they come!" Hiromi's face lights up as Tsuge takes a seat next to her, and sends me one of her sly smiles as Machida sits close to me. "Thank youuuu."

"Thanks." I murmur, as Machida gives me a glass of water.

"This is a lot of fun. Thanks for convincing me to come." I say to Hiromi, trying to stop the slightly awkward silence.

"Well, you know who made me convince you to come in the first place." She winks at me, jerking her head discreetly in Machida's direction.

I force myself to do one of my I'm-so-shy giggles. "That's true." I manage to look at Machida, who I find looking at me. I blush despite myself, and look down at my lap.

The conversation continues in this fashion; someone says something to break the silence, and it escalates slightly, and then dies quickly. After a handful of minutes, Hiromi and I put our glasses down on the table at the same time, and look at each other. She winks at me, and she drags Tsuge to the dance floor.

Machida takes my hand in his, and leads me not to the big crowd of people slow-dancing in the center of the floor, but to one of the darker corners. He puts his large hands around my waist to the small of my back, and pulls me close. Playing the part, I put my hands up his shoulders and intertwine my fingers together, right behind his neck.

"You having a good time?" He asks me, his face slightly shadowed, excepting the dim flashes of the orange and black decorative lights adorning the walls.

"I said I was, didn't I?" I say, smiling at him. What's in his eyes? Something is there… I've never noticed it before… not that I've ever really had a chance to look in his eyes, but tonight, since sitting at the table, something changed. They're… brighter. More alert. Like a lion… stalking prey.

"That's good to hear." He says, slowing our already-slow dancing even more. "Haru… I've liked you a long time." He says, searching deep into my eyes.

Unable to even stutter, my cheeks get red – I feel them burn – and I break the eye contact. He, however, takes this as a sign of shyness, and he stops dancing. One of his hands leaves my back and he gently tilts my chin up, and he kisses me. Just like that. His hand moves to the back of my neck, to strengthen the kiss. I am beside myself. I don't even know what to do. This is what I've wanted, right? Then _why_ do I not feel as happy as I should? I feel like I know the reason why – I really think I know – but I cannot bring myself to admit it.

When Machida pulls away, smiling at me, I feel my whole face burn up.

"I… I need a moment." I say. Before he even has a chance to respond, I head towards the exit, making sure not to run and look as though I am being chased by an axe murderer, but with enough urgency so that I get out of there quickly. I go outside, and lean against the building wall, freaking out.

"He said he's always liked me! Bu-but he couldn't have! I-If he's always like me then wh-why was he with so many other gir-girlfriends? N-No! I-I should be happy! But why do-do I not _feel_ happy? It-it… oh my god it _was_ my _first kiss_! What- what do I do? First kisses aren't supposed to be like this! They're… they're supposed t-to be happy and ma-magical!" I only just notice the tears pouring down my face. I hastily wipe them away, thankful I didn't wear any eye makeup.

"No… why do I feel like this?" I wrap my arms around my waist, trying to stop the shaking that has possessed my body. "I _have_ to get over this! It _wouldn't_ work _anyway_!" I pinch myself, trying to regain my composure. "It wouldn't have worked out… it wouldn't have worked out…" I repeat this to myself multiple times, shutting my eyes and blocking myself from the world. _His_ face is all I see in my minds eye. My eyes flash open. "Stop… _haunting_ me…" I turn around, and peek through the window on the door, and I see Machida talking with Tsuge and Hiromi, looking worried.

"I ha-have to sort this out." I say to myself as firmly as I can. I turn around, and look at the empty streets. "O-odd… not much traffic. Whatever."

I run as fast I can down the streets. "Where the heck am I…?" I say to myself miserably. Turning around in circles, I start to panic, as though I wasn't already.

"Did I take a wrong turn…?" I say to myself shakily. I run back a block and I count the clicks from the long strides I take in my mini-heels.

"Come on I go shopping there all the time…" _Twenty-two… twenty-three… twenty-four…_ "I-it just looks different in the dark, that's all. I'm _not_ lost."

_Thirty-nine… forty… forty-one… forty-two…_

"I know this road!" I cry out loud to myself happily. "Not far now not far…" _Fifty… fifty-one…_

"The Crossroads!" I cry out loud, tears of happiness pouring down my face, my arms outstretched in triumph. I ignore the stares of the few couples eating dinner outside the cafés and restaurants in the area. It's Halloween. Hardly anyone will be out in the city. Everyone is out trick-or-treating. No worries.

"Where's the chair… the chair…?" I say, looking around the multiple dining tables outside on the corner. I stop at the chair I _know_ is the one he would be sleeping in.

"Muta…" I say, feeling my knees wobble and beginning to give out from under me. I sit in the special chair, and hide my face in my hands, my elbows on my knees.

"What was I thinking…? He wouldn't be here… He hasn't been since that day… why would tonight be any different?" I cry quietly into my hands.

Because tonight I actually need help.

~ "Trust yourself." ~

"But I don't know what to trust." I cry into my hands, my tiara falling off my head and making a 'clink' noise as it hits the ground at my feet.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_Wow. Haru is __sad__._

_I think we all know why she ran away. ;)_

_A rushed chapter 3 courtesy of, well, me._

_Please leave a review if you have the time._

_Any criticism (please make it nice though), encouragement, comments, or suggestions are very welcome._

_TCR belongs to Studio Ghibli._

_It's okay, Santa. You can give it to me next year. :)_


	4. Chapter 4: Moonlit Tears

"Haru?" I hear my mother call from her quilting room. "Haru, is that you?"

"Yes, Mom, don't worry." I say thickly. "Just me." My mom, being my mom, comes out, sensing something is wrong.

"Dear, what's the matter? You're home early. And your hair is a little… flustered. Come to think of it, the whole of you is flustered." She takes my shoulder and guides me to the dining table, where I groan and rest my head on the wooden surface.

"I don't _know_ what the matter is, _that's_ the problem…" I murmur. I look up to see her looking at me worriedly.

"Oh, dear." She walks to the cabinet. "This will take a while. I'll get you a drink. Tea, maybe?"

"No!" I feel my eyes flood with tears. "S-sorry mom… no thank you. Just… some water or milk or something." I wipe my eyes of the fresh tears.

"Hot chocolate?" She asks, and I just nod, looking down at my lap. She prepares two mugs of the warm drink in silence, as though she is trying to figure out what to say first. "…Okay." She finally speaks, sitting down in the chair across from me. "Talk to me about it. What happened. Tell me in whatever fashion you'd prefer. Tell it like a story if you must."

I sigh, and take a sip of the warm drink. Through my hiccups and choking back tears, I tell her all about Machida kissing me and saying how he liked me. I stay clear of how I went to the Crossroads, just that I took a walk out in the air and lost track of how far I went, so I just decided to come home.

"So why didn't you like… him kissing you?" My mother asks me, slightly uncomfortable with this topic, being the first time coming across it. "Didn't you have the hugest crush on him a few months ago?" I look up at her, surprised that she knew that, and she chuckles. "You and Hiromi are _not_ the quietest girls when you're in my living room."

"Oh…" I force a smile. "Well…" Now how to make it look as though I am _not_ crazy…? "I met another guy. He doesn't live here; it was just a one day thing. He… sort of brought me down to earth and opened my eyes to everything. I sort of… stopped caring about Machida like how I did before then."

"Another guy, hmm?" My mother's eyebrows raise, and I stare at her, daring her to say more. "Never mind. You said it was a one day thing. So why did you run off?"

"I already said, Mom. I needed air. He sort of… caught me by surprise. And you know me, Mom. When I have to clear my head, I move." I sigh, putting down my empty mug. "I just don't know what to do. I thought I could manage my life and make it… _not_ complicated, but that's not going so well."

"What you need is some well-earned rest." I flinch, realized how similar what she said was to what he said when he… said goodbye. "Come on, tut-tut!" She stands up and gently pulls me out of my chair and towards the stairs. Kissing my forehead, she says, "Sleep on it. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Love you, Mom." I sigh, and click up the stairs. I enter my messy-but-homey bedroom, and change into my new pajamas – they have blue and off-white stripes on them. I look at the yellow dress, gloves, and chipped tiara I laid out on an overlarge purple cushion. "Too much like back then." I look away and climb onto my bed, looking out the window.

I think of how everyone is probably going home now from the party. I look at the table by my bed, and see my cell phone, which I forgot to bring with me to the party. I see it flashing with more than one missed call alert, all from Hiromi.

Too lazy and out-of-it to call back, I decide to text message her instead, saying simply: "i'm fine. talk 2 u 2morro. love haru."

I look back out the window. "Where have you disappeared to? I can't find anyone. And you told me to trust myself. But I have nothing to trust. I don't know what to think, so how can I trust what I don't know?" I sigh.

"I thought I could move on. Isn't that what you would want? It's so hard… I don't know if I've made any progress at all." I wipe some fresh tears from my eyes. Looking up at the moon, I shakily sigh again. "We're looking at the same moon, aren't we? Are you even thinking of me at all? Oh what am I saying? I'm being ridiculous." I tighten my hands into fists in my hair.

"I thought I would be able to see you again. But you're gone. I can't _find_ you. Mu-Muta's never there anymore… and back so many months ago, he made it so that I cannot remember the way." I shut my eyes.

"Moving on is hard to do. I've tried. Are you trying too? I just hope… we find happiness. That _you_ find happiness, if you haven't already. I'll… I'll survive. I just want to find where I belong; because I don't think it's here anymore. I thought it was, and then I didn't think it was, but you convinced me that _here is_ where I belong. But now my confidence in that decision is faltering." I feel myself shake, and I silence myself so that I do not bring on more crying.

I hope sleep finds me soon. I don't want to be awake right now. Just don't haunt my dreams. They're all I have left.

But I know you'll be in my dreams anyway.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_Here's a quickie._

_She's sooooooo distressed._

_Hope she finds out what she wants soon._

_Without losing too many tears along the way._

_Until next time, byebye! =^.^=_

_The Cat Returns is not mine. It is Studio Ghibli's._


	5. Chapter 5: Find My Place

"Thank you, have a good weekend!" I call from the door to the bookstore. Closing the door behind me, I read my paycheck for the month's work there. "Okay it's all good…" I murmur to myself, walking down to the bank. "I'll just exchange it for cash and I'll just go home." I sigh. I'm talking to myself too much lately.

Fifteen minutes later, my pocket feels bulkier than it was when I entered the bank, and I'm walking down the sidewalk in front of my house. I enter it, having to use my key to get inside.

"Mom? You in here?" I call out. I hear a scraping sound like a chair backing up, and my mom comes in.

"Hey, sweetie, sorry. I lost track of the time. My quilt is making great progress." She smiles tiredly at me. "Go upstairs and get cleaned up from work. I'll heat up leftovers from the other night."

"Kay, mom." I say, practically dragging myself up the stairs. I flop on my bed, tired both physically and mentally. I made an effort to avoid everyone this weekend after that party, but work was ridiculous. Hiromi knows my schedule well, and she came to the bookstore during my lunch break. Cornered, I tell her that I was just really surprised about the whole evening and that I let my nerves get the better of me. She asked me if Machida kissed me, her eyes getting rounder by the second. I simply shrugged, and with that, she squealed.

Machida came to the store too, but I hid. I _know_, how brave of me, but I _couldn't_ face him! How embarrassing would that be?

Anyway, there's no hope in avoiding him at school in a few days. Thank goodness for a few more days off from school. But… I can't keep doing this anymore. I have to make a decision…

"Haru!" My mother interrupts my thoughts. "Come down!" I get up, change into comfortable sweatpants and a t shirt, and come down.

Once Mom and I are situated with our meals, there is silence as we eat our noodles. Clearing my throat slightly, I look up at Mom.

"Mom…?" She looks up at me. "Mom… when did you leave home? Like, leave your parents' house and go out on your own?"

My mom, as I predicted, has a look of surprise on her face, and then eats a mouthful of noodles. "Well… thinking back… I was your age. You just turned 18 a few weeks ago… I left on my 18th birthday." She laughs to herself. "Oh, I was such an _adolescent_ back then."

"Why did you leave?" I ask her.

"Why do you think?" She smiles at me. "A man asked me to live with him."

"Are you _serious_, mom?" I squeak, nearly choking on my food.

Mom laughs. "Serious. It was your father. We were so, oh I don't know any other way to say it, so in _love_." She sighs. "On my birthday, he took me to dinner, and then asked that now that I am old enough to take care of myself, if I would live with him. It was the most amazing day ever, except for a few other days, like you being born." Mom winks at me. "Might I ask _why_ you are asking me this?"

I look down at my bowl. "Well… I-I…"

"You are a very responsible lady, Haru." Mom says. "You can tell me your opinion on things. Anything at all."

"Well… I've just been taking extra classes because I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. I'm just spending the money on waiting to figure it out. And I've been thinking so much lately…"

"I've noticed."

"Yeah, so… I was fantasizing the other day. What if I stopped going to the extra classes… I've been working at the bookstore for months, and I've been saving it all. And I could use the money that would normally go to school and use it for more… practical purposes."

"You seem to have a plan all sorted out." My mom says flatly. "I'm impressed with my girl."

"You're – you're not upset with me?" I say, surprised, looking up to see her smiling at me.

"Of course not. You're just like me." Mom laughs. "I want you to know that I am going to support you in anything that you do. I just need to know though. Would _you_ be moving in with someone?"

I laugh. "No, Mom. Just go out into the world. Try to find my place in it." I smile at her and I nearly burst into tears when she nods.

"I'm always going to be here if you ever need to fall back on something, Haru." She says.

"Oh, Mom!" A few tears leak out of my eyes, but I don't care. I stand up out of my chair and cross the table and give Mom a huge hug, which she warmly returns. "I love you, Mom. Thank you so much for letting me do this."

"You're my girl." She kisses my forehead, and stands up. "I trust you want to do this quickly, hmm?"

I nod eagerly. "Oh, my heart is pounding!" I say excitedly.

"Okay, but you're not leaving tonight." Mom says. "Wait until tomorrow, at least. That will give me time to gather your financial belongings and everything that you are sure to forget."

"Thank you so much, Mom." I sniffle, and I kiss her on the cheek before excusing myself from the table and running up into my room. I grab my yellow gym bag, empty it, and start neatly throwing clothes into it. I grab a backpack and stuff it with toiletries and everything.

Within the hour, my room is very much empty, if you simply look at the portable things. My bed is still intact, my dresser still existent, but my clothes and accessories and everything have vanished into my two bulky bags and backpack. Tears of happiness leak out of my eyes and they flow down my cheeks.

"I… I can't believe this is happening." I shakily say to my reflection in the mirror. I rush to the window and look up at the moon. "I'm going to find my place. You'll see."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Wow, that's some supportive mom Haru has._

_I'm impressed._

_So it looks like Haru is off into the world, come tomorrow._

_I wonder why she wants to leave all of a sudden? ;)_

_Anyway… this wasn't really rushed, but I really wanted to submit another chapter._

_It's been a while, ya know?_

_So hope it was alright!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_The Cat Returns will only belong to me if I become Studio Ghibli._

_Which I won't._

_So it'll stay theirs._

_=^.^=_


	6. Chapter 6: A Court Cat

"I'm… so… tired…" I groan, dropping all my bags at once onto the green grass, making a satisfying dull thump sound. I turn around to look behind me. "Well I made progress anyway." I sit down and lay in the blowing grass, closing my eyes. I feel the warm sun and see its bright glare through my closed eyelids.

Well, let's see. It's about three in the afternoon, I'd say, if I had to guess. I don't know for sure because I had to turn off my phone; Hiromi won't stop calling me. I called her, briefly explaining that I'm leaving, and she absolutely lost it. Tears and crying and 'why the heck are you leaving's and 'you're a horrible person's and 'YOU'RE GONNA DIE's were all I heard when I was explaining to her that I'm going to find my place in the world.

So I had to hang up on her, being that she rambled for over half an hour while I used my free hand to gather the remaining junk I needed. Hugs and kisses for mom, and two free hands for my bags, and that was that. I knew I had to get out of there fast – Hiromi might come after me, and I also didn't want to wimp out at the last moment.

I took a train out to the middle of no where, and now I am in the middle of a field with tall grass and a lake about a hundred feet from where I presently lay. I don't exactly have a plan, to be honest. It felt good getting out of there, actually _doing_ something, but now I don't know.

"Maybe leaving so quickly wasn't such a great idea…" I murmur to myself. I pull my phone out of my backpack pocket and stare at its blank screen. I groan and toss it on top of my bags.

"But I can't turn back _now_… I'd look like such an _idiot_." I mutter to myself. I sit up and look around. "What a pretty lake…" I sigh and pull out my map. I use my finger to trace the many miles I've traveled today. I find the lake, which has a peculiar shape… strange… it looks like - suddenly I hear a rustling very close to me.

"If you followed me Hiromi, I swear to-" I stand up and look around, seeing nothing standing above the mid-thigh high grass. "… but I could've sworn…"

I look around and see grass rustling about ten feet away from me. I hesitantly walk towards it, thinking that if it's a snake or something I'm totally going to freak, and I part the grass right above the traveling rustling spot, and gasp.

Looking up at me, surprised that I found her, is a pink cat. She looks awfully surprised to see me, but not as surprised I am to see her. To my dismay, she starts running away from me.

"No, wait! Please don't go!" I run, chasing after her, and to my slight shock and to my grand pleasure, she falters, and stops, turning around to look at me.

I kneel down, right in front of her. "Do I… look familiar at all to you?" Sure I may be wearing a black skirt and a red blouse as opposed to my school uniform or a yellow ball gown, but I should look remotely the same.

She looks at me and sits down, taking her time with thinking. I nervously tuck my hair behind my ear and bend forward, so that my face is inches from hers, where her fine whiskers could tickle me if she tilted her head.

"Do you… s-serve the Cat King…? Remember a h-human who came to the Cat Kingdom? H-Haru?"

The cat's eyes widen and she eases up on her back legs and covers her mouth with one paw.

"Miss Haru?"

"Y-yes… it's me!" I start shaking, but I'm grinning so much it hurts. "I can't believe I found a cat from the Cat Kingdom! How's Yuki? Prince Lune? Natori and Natoru and-"

"Oh, calm down, Miss Haru." The feline laughs. "They're wonderful. Except Prince Lune has been crowned King now."

"Oh has he?" I grin, clapping my hands together. "That's wonderful! And he and Yuki have…?"

She smiles warmly. "They wed a week after you left."

"Oh I am so happy for them!" I say, noticing a tear welling up in my eye and I wipe it away. "Please, miss. Are you going to the Cat Kingdom now?"

"Yes… I came to this world to visit one of my relatives. I am returning to the Cat Kingdom after my, what his majesty calls, a 'vacation.'" I nod encouragingly. "Miss Haru…? Would you like to ask me something?"

I notice that I am shaking with anticipation. "Oh, please, take me with you!" I stand up and wave my hands around excitedly as I talk. "I have been trying to figure out what to do since I left home and since I found you and you're going back to the Cat Kingdom that it's destiny I think I'm _supposed_ to go with you so _please_ take me with you I beg of you please!" The cat pats my leg to make me realize I am rambling and I silence myself.

"Please, Miss Haru, calm down." She sits and smiles at me. "I see you really want this." I nod fervently. "You seem to be so different than the scared and hesitant girl I picked a yellow dress for many months back." She sighs. "What about that fat cat that was with you back then?"

I feel my face fall despite the great joy that is in me from seeing this cat. She notices this as well and speaks up.

"Well, shall we go?" She asks me, her whiskers twitching once.

"Oh, yes!" I grin. "But how?"

The moment I asked this, a blue portal opened up out of thin air next to us.

"That's how." The cat smiles and walks up to it. "Just go right through."

I laugh. "Oh, I remember how they work."

She nods and says to me, "Go through right away. It doesn't stay open long." She hops through the portal, and already I see it shrinking. I gasp and step forward and stick my hand through, and then dive through.

I should have realized it sooner. The shape of the lake… on the map… it's a paw print.

"Here I come!" I cry, a grin on my face, my eyes shut against the bright light of the portal. And then I don't feel anything except warm, not as tall, amazingly soft grass under me, and I sneeze. I open my eyes and find a cattail blowing against my nose.

Looking up, I see the bright sky I remember from so long ago, and I turn around slowly, and I start laughing with joy when I see that tall castle.

"Here I am!" I squeal, throwing my arms out and spinning around in circles until I get dizzy and fall down on my front. "The Cat Kingdom."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Hey guyssssss!_

_Sorry I haven't updated in so long! School has kept me from the computer!_

_And I finally have Word on my laptop._

_So I'll (hopefully) be able to write more often!_

_Anywayyyyy… here is the next chapter!_

_Hope it's alright! I'm a crazy chickie where I am daydreaming and I'm formulating a story in my mind and I'm like NOOOOO I have to finish my Cat Returns fanfic first!_

_Haha so I promise I won't abandon this story!_

_The Cat Returns belongs to Studio Ghibli and such._

_Bye!_

_=^.^=_


	7. Chapter 7: Surprising Situations

The sunlight twinkles in through the window, shining on a fluffy white lump sprawled on the couch. The lump twitches, and then sits up, muttering something that sounds like 'stupid cheesy light show'. The lumpy feline looks around, waking up more. He forces himself up off the couch and silently goes into the kitchen, looking behind him, making sure he isn't waking anyone.

The cat starts opening cabinets, cringing when one squeaks as it opens. He turns around one more time, and then swipes a jumbo cereal box from the shelf. Silently closing the cabinet, he leaves the room and goes outside, closing the door behind him. He trudges forward, ripping the cereal bag open. He looks up at the fountain statue, shoving a handful of cereal in his mouth. He scowls at the avian statue, and throws a small handful of cereal up at it.

About ten minutes later, he is empty handed, having thrown the empty cereal box away five minutes ago, and jumping onto a park bench. Stretching, he yawns and then lies down.

"So much better than that café chair…" He sighs, watching the humans bustle to school and their jobs. "But still as uneventful as ever." He closes his eyes, listening to the cars and the unintelligible chitchat of the humans. His ear twitches as a bee buzzes by, and it flies away, the sound fading away.

"Fat! Friend! Wake! UP!"

The cat's eyes snap open. "What…?" He realizes he dozed off. "Whaddya want?" He turns his head to look at whoever was poking him in the side. "Wait, you look familiar…" His eyes squint as he inspects the brown feline.

"Oh, fat friend, you don't recognize me?" He says, distressed. He puts the back of his paw on his forehead, sighing. "I knew that I wasn't memorable enough for our fat friend to remember me and yet I was still sent here!"

"What are you talking-" The cat jumps. "AH! You're that cat from the Cat Kingdom!"

The brown cat's face lights up. "Ah I see I am not that forgettable! What a pleasant thing!"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Natoru here to deliver a message to the Cat Bureau." The cat, Natoru, points at himself.

"To the Cat Bureau? What do you want with us?" The fat cat stretches and sits up straight, looking larger than normal.

"Only to deliver a message, fat friend. Where is that well-dressed cat that was with you last time?"

The cat shrugs. "Just spit out the message already. I'll pass it on." Crossing his arms, he listens to the cat as he waves his paws around animatedly as he gives the message.

"Baron! Baron, where the heck are you?" The fat cat bursts into the building from which he left that morning. He leans against the wall, panting.

An orange feline looks up from a book, and stands up off the couch, putting the book on the neighboring table, and walks up to the fat cat.

"Muta? What's the matter?"

Muta groans and closes the door behind him. "You won't _believe_ who I just saw." He trudges into the well-decorated room and plops onto the armchair. The orange cat sits back on the couch, leaning forward.

"Oh just tell me already." He says, weaving his fingers together and resting his chin on them, propped up by his elbows on his knees.

"Okay. So you remember _months_ ago going to the Cat Kingdom?" Muta says.

"How could he forget?" A crow hops into the room via balcony. "Baron isn't as forgetful as you might be, Muta."

"Stuff it, chicken." Muta crosses his arms. "I'm talking."

The orange feline with the dress clothes, Baron, sighs, and says, "Could you just continue, Muta?"

"If I'm _allowed_ to." He shoots a look at the crow. "If Toto shuts his beak." He looks back at Baron. "That brown cat. That Cat King's servant guy. Natoru. Remember him?"

Baron nods. "Yes. Go on."

"I. Saw. HIM." Muta says, slamming his paw on the sofa cushion with each word.

"Cats are seen all the time, Muta." Toto the crow sneers. "Unless you have been too oblivious to notice until now."

"Shut _up_ you stupid chicken!" Muta snarls. "He talked to me about Haru!"

Baron sits up straight. "Haru?"

"That pretty girl we helped?" Toto hop off the higher level of the room down to the main floor.

"Oh, so _now_ you listen." Muta crosses his arms. "Yes, about Haru."

"What about her?" Baron asks, his whiskers on one side of his face twitching nervously.

"She's back! B-back! Back _there_!" Muta throws his arms up as he sputters.

"She's at… the Cat Kingdom?" Baron stands up slowly.

"Yes!" Muta gets up as well. "After all we did for that ungrateful girl, she goes back!"

Toto cocks his head to the side. "Did this Natoru feline mention _why_ Haru is back?"

Muta shrugs. "He was too… excited. I could barely understand what he was talking about. Something about leaving home…? I don't know."

"So she wasn't kidnapped or anything like last time." Toto confirms.

Baron puts a hand on the back of his head. "But… why? She was so sure of herself last time, about coming back here."

"If I knew, I would tell ya." Muta roughly pats Baron on the back.

"You really think it's wise for her to be there?" Toto pipes up. "Won't the girl… change? Out of what you told me about what happened last… she was… transforming?"

Baron nods, looking out the window. "She wasn't sure of herself."

Muta elbows Toto. "Looks like someone's worried." He mutters. Toto sighs and hops over to Baron.

"Baron?"

Baron turns around and looks at the concerned bird. "Yes?"

"You're thinking about something, aren't you?" He asks worriedly.

"N-no… why would you ask that?" Baron shrugs and walks into the kitchen.

"No point denying it!" Muta laughs. "You're worried 'bout her!" He grins smugly at the tawny cat.

"N-no. I'm _not_." Baron turns so he doesn't have to look at either of his friends. "Well, _yes_, but not as badly as before. I mean… oh, how can it be explained?" He groans at being put on the spot like so. "Last time… she was taken to that place against her will. Out of what you've said, this time she willingly went there. Who am I to judge whether she should be there or not?"

Toto hops over to his friend. "You are quite right, Baron. But don't you think something about it all is strange? How she wanted nothing more than to get out of that place, and now she chooses to go there of her own accord?"

"Sounds fishy." Muta mumbles. He sighs. "Fish…"

"Quit thinking about food at a time like this, Muta." Toto scolds.

"Hmph." Muta crosses his arms and sits on the armchair. "So what are you gonna do, Baron?"

"What are you talking about?" Baron looks at him.

"Well aren't you gonna do something about Haru?" Muta raises his feline eyebrows.

"And _why_ should I do something, might I ask?"

"Because you know you want to, that's why." Muta nods. "As much as I despise that place, I have a feeling in my gut that we're going to be seeing it rather soon. Am I right?"

Baron shrugs. "I don't _know_, Muta. _Try_ to understand that!" Realizing he is getting frustrated, he forces himself to breathe. "What… do you think… I should do?"

"You know exactly what you should do, Baron." Toto says comfortingly.

"You do, buddy." Muta nods, sitting back down on the sofa.

Baron looks from one friend's face to another, back and forth. He sighs. "I know, I know. You're right."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Hey guyssssss!_

_I am so sorry for not updating in such a terribly long time!_

_I have been so incredibly busy._

_I apologize._

_I'll do my best to not leave you all hanging!_

_Hope I'm doing okay!_

_Until next time!_

_I.F._

_=^.^=_


	8. Chapter 8: Change and Lack Thereof

"Miss Haru!"

"Miss Haru!"

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you again!"

"I haven't seen you without your lovely fur before, but you still look beautiful!"

"Are you staying here?"

"Oh, please do!"

I put my hand to my forehead, getting slightly dizzy from the crowd of felines surrounding me. After the court cat brought me here, and we starting walking to the castle, the news that I have returned spread very quickly, one cat to the next, so that when we made it to the castle doors, the cats there already knew I was there.

"This is a bit too much…" I sigh, looking around. The court cat smiles and gently pushes me forward through the crowd into the castle.

"Don't worry, Miss Haru." She says calmly. "They will all calm down. They're merely excited to see you once more. Now shall we see His Majesty?"

"You mean Pri- I mean, King Lune?" I ask. "Am I allowed? I mean, he _is_ the king. I don't want to just… barge in."

Almost as in an answer to my question, a military feline in a familiar red uniform comes walking speedily down the corridor, and clumsily comes to a stop after slightly passing me.

"Ah! You are Miss Haru, yes?" He asks, bowing faintly and straightening, looking directly at me. I feel myself nodding, startled by how quickly people recognize and welcome me here. "His Royal Highness has requested your presence. He wishes to personally extend his greetings."

"We were about to visit him." The court cat says to the officer. He nods and follows us to a room I did not have the… privilege of seeing last time I was here. As we approach the large doors, I bring my hand up to my hair, running my fingers though it, trying to flatten and neaten it. My hand quickly drops down to my side as we go through the entryway.

"Haru!" A blue heterochromatic-eyed feline rises from a throne all the way on the other side of the room. "How wonderful to see your face here again!"

"Lun- ah, Your Highness! It's a pleasure!" I grin and wobbly curtsy at him. He waves his paw at me, rolling his eyes.

"Oh please, not you too. I don't wish to partake in such formalities, especially with an old friend." He smiles. "Please, just call me by my _name_, if you may."

I laugh lightly. "Oh, of course… Lune." He nods, and gives me a gentle hug.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you again, at least not here." He says, ushering me to a long wooden table by some tall windows where the sun twinkles through.

I shrug, taking a seat across from the blue king. "To be entirely honest, I'm not sure. I mean, I wasn't very… happy." Lune nods, resting his chin on his paws. "I felt as though there was more meant for me in life, and I wouldn't find it home… I mean when I came here last time I thought that my place was back home but once I was home for a while I started thinking that _this_ is where I'm supposed to be and… I'm sorry I'm going around in circles, aren't I?" I laugh nervously, and flop forward, resting my chin on my crisscrossed arms stationary on the table.

Lune smiles warmly at me. "Oh, it's alright." He fiddles with a tassel hanging off his shoulder pad of his attire. "Sometimes one is not sure of what they really want until he or she tries various things. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like."

I jump up out of my chair and clasp my hands together. "Oh, could you, w-would you, really?" He laughs and nods, and I run around the table and give him a hug, which he returns. "Thank you so much!"

"Honestly, Haru, why would I turn you away?" Lune laughs as I pull away and sit in a different chair, right next to him. "Besides, Yuki and I have been wanting to see you again. You see-"

"Oh, Haru! It's true, you're here!" A familiar voice echoes in the room, and I turn my head to see a white cat with a pretty pink ribbon coming towards me.

"Yuki! How great to see you!" I stand and she gives me a light embrace.

"Likewise." Yuki smiles and sits next to me. "Why are you here? I never thought that-"

"You would see me again here?" I shrug and smirk. "Lune was just asking me the same thing. Simply put…" I purse my lips and look up, thinking of a simple way to explain.

Lune interjects. "It's basically a matter of finding where she belongs." I nod, and Yuki nods in reply.

"Oh, that's quite alright." Yuki smiles warmly. "You are welcome to stay here." She rises. "I'm sure Lune has already told you that, I assume?" I nod and she smiles at her husband. "Would you like me to show you around the castle? I understand that you didn't exactly have that opportunity last time you were here."

I stand and run my hand back through my hair. "Yea, that sounds about right. I'd love to see the place!" I turn to curtsy clumsily to Lune. "Thanks again, Lune!" He rises and pats my shoulder, and I smile and turn to Yuki and follow her eagerly to the large doors out back to the corridor.

Once out in the corridor, Yuki and I engage in a lively conversation about what has been going on here since I left. She and Lune got married a short time after I left, and the Cat King retired, leaving Lune the crown to the kingdom. The kingdom has been in very good condition, and the overall morale has increased greatly from Lune's kind ruling techniques.

"Oh that's wonderful, Yuki!" I smile at her as we go down another corridor; I casually look to the side, out the window, and I sharply intake air.

"The maze!" I rush over to the window, leaning out slightly. "It's still here!"

Yuki comes over to stand next to me. "Yes, it is." She smiles. "We, that is, Lune and I, have decided to keep it there rather than tear it down. The walls have been fixed, and it's a genuine maze once again."

I laugh. "Except without moving walls and exploding towers." I lean on the sill, feeling my face grow solemner. "It seems as though nothing's changed when really… everything's changed."

Yuki looks at me, and I shrug silently. She pats my hand with her paw, smiles slightly, and cocks her head to the side, motioning for me to continue following her.

"I am very pleased to see you, Haru." Yuki smiles at me. "And I am sure the maids have as well."

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" I trip over my own feet as Yuki gently steers me through a curtain and I am practically mobbed by four maids.

"Oh, Miss Haru, it's wonderful to see you!"

"We are so happy to see you!"

"Oh, you are as beautiful as I remember you to be!"

And on and on.

I look over at Yuki, who is back by the curtain, smiling at me. She laughs lightly, and says, "Could I really deny them the opportunity to dress you up again? The happiness of everyone in the kingdom is key now, and this will most certainly make them happy."

I sigh and laugh in spite of myself. "So I don't have a choice in this situation, do I?"

Yuki winks at me as she slides out of the room. "You could say that."

I allow myself to be poked and prodded with makeup supplies and nail filers, have my hair combed through more times than I believe to be necessary, have my feet shoved into various styles of shoes, and have dress after dress pulled on and off me until the 'best dress' is discovered.

"Um, I'm not complaining or anything, but _how many more dresses do I have to try on_?" I groan as a maid pulls a dress on over my head, my eyes shut tight.

"We apologize, Miss Haru, but we want you to look beautiful for the feast at dinnertime in celebration of your arrival!" She says, turning me away from the mirror so she can tie the bow behind me.

"A feast…?" I say emotionlessly. "Is that _really_ necessary? Isn't all this enough?"

~ "Oh, stoooop, that's enough." ~ I remember I said that, smiling at a brown messenger feline for the Cat King many months back. I sigh.

"Your return has made many of us happy. Your presence last time was entertaining, to say the least, and now that Lune His Majesty is the king, things should go more smoothly than last time."

"Well, true, but…" I sigh. "Okay, I didn't get kidnapped or anything to get brought here… and I _am_ really happy to be with you all, I just don't particularly enjoy being… the center of attention."

"I'm sorry. Would you like one of us to tell His Majesty that?" A different maid's voice pops up from in front of me, and I feel her paws fluffing the front bottom of my dress.

"No, no, I'll deal with it." I force myself to smile. "I _wanted_ to come here. if it means parties every night, er, day, ah, dinner-time," I laugh to myself "… let it be! Now may I open my eyes? It's terribly dark with them being closed all this time."

"Oh, yes, yes, just one… more… moment…" The maid behind me fluffs my hair and puts a paw on each arm and rotates me to the mirror.

When I open my eyes I don't recognize the figure in the mirror for a good quarter minute.

"You're so beautiful, Miss!" A squeaky-voiced maid pipes up from behind me.

"She'll attract any male around here!" One of the maids grins and gently elbows a maid grinning next to her.

~ "She's quite a fetching one, too." ~ I frown at the panging memories.

"Do you like it Miss Haru?" The purple-tinted maid asks me, a look of worry on her face.

"I didn't think I could look like this… It's pretty." I say slowly, looking me up and down.

My hair is down, simple and straight, but sprayed with sparkles, as though my head was dunked in a tub of glitter. My eyelids have a purple touch to them, and my fingernails have a matching hue. My dress is a dark violet, snug on the top, with short ruffle sleeves. A wide lavender ribbon is tied around my waist, and makes a puffy bow on my back. The bottom of the dress hangs comfortably, not too poofy but not stick straight. The ruffle layers of the dress move with every swaying motion I make, and I laugh as I see the smiles of the maids as they watch me move my hips.

"Oh, she likes it!" The maids all cheer. "Come on, let's go show everyone!"

"Yes, yes! Let's accompany her outside!"

I smile and follow the maids towards the exiting curtain, stealing one last glance at the mirror before I leave. I could swear that I got a little tanner since I've gotten here… and I'm not one to tan in the sun easily. I smile smugly to myself and rush out of the room, catching up to the maids.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Hello everyone!_

_I have been so incredibly busy lately, I'm sorry!_

_Like… if you go to the dictionary…_

_Look up "busy" or "so-stressed-it's-fatal"…_

_You'll find a picture of me._

_I'm sure of it._

_I have final exams coming up…_

_My SATs next week…_

_It's that time of year everyone!_

_I promise I'll write every possible moment I have a chance to._

_Just don't expect much quickly._

_I'll do my best!_

_Lots of love!_

_I.F._

_=^.^=_


	9. Chapter 9: Calm Down

"Is all of this really… necessary?" I murmur to the pink maid refilling my glass of water. "It seems too… extravagant." I play with a ruffle on my dress between my fingers. "I-I'm not complaining, honest. This is a wonderful party, but I just don't want anyone going through so much trouble…"

"No, no, miss, don't think of this like that." The feline smiles. "Everyone is delighted to do this. His Royal Highness has been hoping for some occasion to have a party for. What with all the reconstruction and redesigning of lifestyles, we haven't had reason to party."

"What sort of reconstruction?" I twirl a lock of hair around my finger, which results in me getting glitter off my hair and onto my lap, and I brush it off, keeping my hands in my lap from now on.

"You see, miss, King Lune has wanted to really change how things happen around here from how they were under his father. The maze that I understand you are familiar with has been rebuilt and is just a maze for any, shall we say, daredevils who have a lot of time and determination. No one has attempted it yet. Technology is being built so that if someone gets miserably lost, they can contact us and we can find their location and bring them back here. I _think_ that's how it works, anyway." She laughs. "Pardon, miss. I tend to ramble."

I grin. "Oh, that's alright. I can do my fair share of going on and on in a conversation as well. That's fascinating. What about Lune's father? The previous Cat King? He retired, correct?"

The maid nods, wiping up a nearby drink spill so she remains doing her job. "He is retired. He spends most of his time in his own little tower to the castle, all alone. Natori visits him most out of everyone, except the maids who bring him food and care for him. He prefers to stay in his room. He's gotten so… quiet and… subdued. It's very unlike him before His Majesty King Lune's reign."

"I must admit, I have trouble picturing that myself." I raise my eyebrows. "The Cat King, submissive and not bossy? It's not an easy vision to bring about."

"That's right, miss." She stands up straight, and looks around. "If you'll pardon me, miss, I fear that I may be getting stares from some of the guests who wish to converse with you. I should be getting back to work. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Haru."

I stand up and give her a hug, much to her shock. "I am glad we got to talk." I smile. "I hope to see you again soon, Miss…?"

She blushes and looks down. "My name is Tracy."

"I hope to see you again, Tracy." I smile, and wave as she bows slightly and walks away. "What a nice cat." I say quietly to myself as I walk out to the main floor, where instead of there being entertainment for a choice audience, there is mingling, gossiping, and dancing. "I was too worried about what was happening to me last time I was here to appreciate everyone here and get to know everyone…"

As though the whole floor heard me, I am nearly immediately surrounded by felines, flooded with greetings and questions and hope to strike a conversation with me. I can't tell who is complimenting my dress or who wants to ask questions about the human world or who wants to dance with me. The night goes on in this fashion, me simply entertaining everyone by clumsily dancing with them, and forcing myself to talk dynamically even when all I want to do is collapse on the floor and close my eyes and sleep. I manage to satisfy everyone, or at least those who are mobbing me, and I am about to go sit back at my seat when I see Lune wave me over to where he is sitting. I weave through the crowd and stand on the other side of the table, across from the blue cat.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Haru?" He asks with a warm smile on his face.

I nod, grinning. "Oh, yes. I will admit that this is rather exhausting, but I suppose that's to be expected. It _is_ a party, after all." I laugh and pluck a grape out of a nearby bowl and pop it in my mouth. "Did you need me for something, Lune?"

Lune shrugs and stands, walking around the table to walk with me away from the crowd, closer to the walls. "It's been a while since there has been a party, and, well, my father has been known for throwing them. I fear he may come down…" He looks nervously at the door and then back at me.

"Well he hasn't come down from his room since he retired, correct?" I feel my nose twitch in uneasiness. "So are you maybe overreacting…?"

Lune sighs. "I hope so." He squeezes the bridge of his nose with his paw and squints, and lets his hand fall and he stands straighter. "I'm _just_ overreacting. I shouldn't have worried you like so. My sincerest apologies. I should have known that mentioning my father would make you a little nervous."

I laugh hesitantly. "J-just a little." I pat his shoulder and nod. "We'll… we'll be fine."

He nods. "Right."

I smile comfortingly at Lune, and then excuse myself. I walk closer to the wall, avoiding large crowds. My eyes dart back and forth, looking for the pink cat Tracy. When I see her walking out of the kitchen, balancing a tray of fish on each paw, I catch up to her and grab a tray out of her paw and walk next to her, carrying the tray with two hands rather than a skilled one.

"Miss Haru! What are you doing?" She stutters.

"Oh don't mind me. I just wanted to talk. And I should help, being that I'm taking up some of your time." I smile and empty my tray of fish into a nearly empty plate of the same fish on the buffet table.

"Oh, you should really enjoy the party, miss…" She sighs, emptying her own try onto a different platter.

"I've had a lot of the party in the last few hours, Tracy." I laugh and I lean against the table. "I want to talk again about the former king."

"What's the matter, miss?" Tracy's ear twitches, making her little maid bow wave.

"Would he come down to this party?" I say with all seriousness.

Tracy pouts in thought. "Why… do you ask?"

"Because I honestly don't want to see him. Or, rather, I don't want him seeing me!" I groan and cover my face with my hands. "What happened last time when I was here was probably the scariest I have lived and will ever live through! And I don't really know what he would do to me if he saw me."

"Miss- Miss Haru!" Tracy grabs my hand. "Please calm yourself. I think you're reacting excessively a bit! I said before, didn't I? The former king is so much calmer. I honestly don't think that you're in any danger, if that's what you're getting at."

"But… he didn't want me to go…" My voice squeaks as I gasp. "What if he heard that I'm here?"

"Miss _Haru_!" Tracy groans. "You're. _Fine_. Honestly. I doubt he knows you're here. The maids who go up there won't tell him, and I think that Natori doesn't want any more chaos himself, so _he_ certainly won't tell."

"Okay… okay. I'm fine. A-and besides… he isn't king anymore. What could he possibly do to me?" I laugh weakly.

Tracy smiles. "That's the spirit." She stacks my tray on top of hers and balances them on her paw. "Just enjoy yourself here. Okay?" She smiles and I nod, and she walks away, back into the kitchen.

I sigh, and as the party calms down, and the cats file out slowly to go back home so they can sleep (Although it's light outside… so strange, really.) I click my way over to large balcony doors and walk out and lean on the rail, looking up at the clouds above. I rub a lock of my hair between two fingers. I nod. My hair feels _much_ softer.

I'll be just fine.

I'm safe here.

And it's beautiful here.

I'm so blessed.

But… I'm still afraid.

I'll never feel as safe without him by my side.

But I have to move on.

Right?

He isn't here.

I really hoped he would.

But he isn't.

I just… have to accept it.

GROW THE HECK UP, HARU!

I cup my chin in my hands, leaning forward, one foot crossed behind the other. I'll just have to live on, won't I? Find someone else who makes my heart flutter. Who makes a smile grow on my face. Whose face haunts my thoughts and dreams and mind's eye.

Maybe there is someone like that out there, apart from him.

XxXxXxXxX

"She looks just the same as she did. But less… furry." A "hmph" sound is heard from a deep voiced figure.

"Well that's because she hasn't transformed yet."

"Oh, but she will." This is said, followed by a deep and satisfied chuckle.

"What makes you so sure?"

"LOOK at her." The deep voice snarls.

There's a sound of rustling, a sound of something being handed over perhaps.

"What about it?"

"See how alone and terrified she is?" Deep, throaty laughter. "She'll succumb to being unsure in no time. And then that's where I come in. Give me those binoculars back."

The same rustling sound as before: the binoculars being passed from one to another.

"Your son won't be pleased."

"Since when do I care anymore?" The deep voice "hmph"s again.

"I don't think you're planning anything good…"

"You're right. I'm not." The deep voiced figure lowers the binoculars, revealing a bright blue eye and bright red eye, with one purple eye gem on his forehead.

"She didn't become my daughter-in-law last she was here. But I don't think it's due time to give up… No, no, not just yet. Just you watch. Keep an eye on her throughout her time here. Her time will come." The heterochromatic figure laughs excessively and loudly and excessively, turns to go inside his room, and throws his binoculars into his accompanier's general direction.

"Y-yes, sir."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_Wow. It's been FOREVER._

_Heartily sorry._

_I'm so incredibly busy, even though it's summer._

_AP English assignments, AP Calculus assignments, college applications, SAT reviewing, a babysitting job, (A boyfriend thrown into the mix ;D ) I just haven't been able to write!_

_And I wasn't totally feeling it with this chapter. _

_So I'm done with this one._

_Fixed it to the best of my abilities._

_SAYONARA FOR NOW._

_Lots of love,_

_I.F._

_=^.^=_


End file.
